Hope Makes all the Difference
by The Inspired Quill
Summary: Swiftpaw thinks he will never be a warrior. It may take a visit with StarClan to convince the young apprentice otherwise.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi again. This is my newest story, about Swiftpaw and Runningwind. In this, I changed it so Swiftpaw did not die, but instead got his warrior name. It will only have two chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

_**Chapter 1**_

"… and so I'm worried. If Swiftpaw, Brightpaw and Thornpaw find out that Cloudpaw is going to be a warrior, but they are not, they are not going to be happy." Fireheart's hushed voice and Cinderpelt's drifted out the medicine cat den. Luckily, no cat was close enough to hear.

"I know, but what can we do? You know how much Tigerclaw's betrayal destroyed Bluestar. She probably won't change her mind," Cinderpelt, a gray she-cat with blue eyes, replied.

"Won't Bluestar listen to you? You're her medicine cat, after all," Fireheart, a ginger tom, persisted. His emerald green eyes conveyed anxiety.

"I'll try, but I don't see anything else we can do." Cinderpelt ended the conversation.

Swiftpaw stalked away from the clearing to the apprentices den. He blocked out the noise of his Clan mates chanting Cloudtail's new name. The white warrior just had his warrior ceremony, but he, Brightpaw, and Thornpaw didn't receive theirs. Nobody would tell him why, but Swiftpaw suspected that it had something to do with Tigerclaw. The former deputy of ThunderClan had turned out to be a traitor, and had almost killed Bluestar, ThunderClan's leader, in his ambition to become leader himself. Swiftpaw settled himself on his mossy nest, his head on his paws, and fumed angrily. It wasn't fair! He was as good, maybe even better, than Cloudtail, and he deserved his warrior name just as much. It wasn't fair! Brightpaw and Thornpaw came into the den a little while later. They were not as irritated as Swiftpaw, and they seemed perfectly contented to be apprentices for the rest of their lives. _Apprentices_, Swiftpaw thought. _We do nothing but pick ticks off the elders with mouse bile—disgusting! We fetch them mossy bedding and prey. We get told to stay back instead of fighting the enemies. What good is it, if we learn to fight, but never do?_ Swiftpaw would not be happy if he was an apprentice for much longer. He knew he deserved to be a warrior, and he had earned his name many times over, but had Bluestar noticed? _No_, he thought in disgust. Instead, Bluestar picked Cloudtail. What did Cloudtail do to deserve his name? He went off and ate kittypet food, and almost turned into a kittypet! Swiftpaw's rage exhausted him, and he quickly fell asleep.

Cinderpelt settled down in her nest, after sorting the juniper berries and burdock root she had collected that day. She had an exhausting day, and fell asleep almost instantly.

She opened her eyes. She was in a forest, which she immediately recognized as StarClan. When cats who hade served their Clan well passed away, their spirit lived in StarClan forever. The lush greenery bordered the clearing, and soft moss, perfect for lining dens, surrounded the trees. Juicy, fat prey—mice, voles, squirrels, and birds—ran, flew, or scuttered around without a care in the world, and Cinderpelt eyed them hungrily. What was she doing here? A light, soft sound of padding paws emerged from the bushes, and out emerged Lionheart, a ThunderClan warrior who had died in a fierce ShadowClan battle.

Cinderpelt dipped her head respectfully. "Is there a message for me?" she asked the starry golden warrior.

Lionheart didn't reply at first, and he hesitated. "Yes, a ThunderClan warrior has requested to meet Swiftpaw, but didn't say why."

"Swiftpaw? Why?" Cinderpelt was puzzled. What did her starry ancestors want with Swiftpaw, a warrior apprentice?

"Tomorrow, you must bring him to the Moonstone." Lionheart started to fade away.

"Wait! Don't go! I need more information!" Cinderpelt yowled, as she woke up.

Fireheart was standing in the entrance of the medicine cat den, and the bright sunlight streamed in behind him, outlining him in gold. "What's wrong, Cinderpelt? Are you okay?"

"I had a dream from StarClan…" Cinderpelt began. After telling Fireheart her dream, she asked, "Should I take him? Will Bluestar let me?"

Bluestar was ThunderClan's leader. Her fur was blue-gray, and her blue eyes commanded respect, even from the rival Clans. She had been ThunderClan's leader for a long time; many of ThunderClan's warriors weren't even born when she became leader. Only the elders remembered her as a young cat. Bluestar's trusted deputy had been Redtail, but Tigerclaw had murdered him. When Fireheart had revealed the traitorous deputy's actions, the Bluestar's shock was so great she practically lost her will to lead her Clan. Now, the blue-gray cat seemed convinced that every cat in her Clan was a traitor, aside from Fireheart, and Whitestorm, her nephew. Longtail, a pale tabby, was Swiftpaw's mentor, but Longtail was also one of Tigerclaw's biggest supporters, and that was why Bluestar refused to make Swiftpaw a warrior. Fireheart, and two other cats, Cinderpelt and Whitestorm, had managed to keep Bluestar's feelings a secret, so no other cats knew.

Fireheart was uncertain about what Cinderpelt should do. Bluestar wasn't very stable, but a warrior had requested Swiftpaw for some reason. Fireheart knew that Cinderpelt shouldn't take Swiftpaw along with her unless Bluestar gave permission, but what if the ThunderClan leader refused? Fireheart was torn between loyalty to his leader, who also used to be his mentor, and respect for StarClan, his warrior ancestors.

"Do whatever is best. Why don't you ask Swiftpaw if he wants to go?"

Cinderpelt gave a sigh. "Okay, I'll ask him, but I need to think about it first. I'll go collect some herbs. I'm running low on yarrow and feverfew anyways."

"Fireheart! Border patrol!" Sandstorm's yowl shook Fireheart, and he turned to go.

"Do whatever is best," he repeated softly, and sped out of the den to join the impatient cats.

Swiftpaw yawned. He had gone on a hunting patrol with his mentor, Longtail and Dustpelt, a brown tabby cat, and a training session with his Longtail, Mousefur, and her apprentice, Thornpaw. After that, he had only a little time to devour a piece of fresh-kill, a young mouse, before Whitestorm and Brackenfur had dragged him out for a border patrol. He felt like he had gotten only a wink of sleep before he felt Cinderpelt nudge him awake.

"Swiftpaw, I have to ask you something," she whispered, and Swiftpaw drowsily roused himself from his mossy nest, eyes half closed. It was sundown, and the other apprentices weren't back yet.

"What is it, Cinderpelt?" he asked.

Cinderpelt stole a quick glance behind her, but Swiftpaw couldn't tell why. "A StarClan warrior, Lionheart, came to me in a dream last night, and passed the message that another StarClan warrior wanted to see you. He told me to bring you to the Moonstone tonight. Do you want to go?"

**A/N: I enjoy cliffhangers… Anyways, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Swiftpaw's eyes immediately snapped open. A StarClan warrior had requested to meet him, of all the ThunderClan cats; him, an apprentice! His tiredness was quickly forgotten, he was about to say yes, but then remembered that something like this would need the permission of ThunderClan's noble leader, Bluestar. As much as he wanted to meet a StarClan cat, he also really wanted to be a warrior. If he snuck out like this, and she found out, she might deny him the chance to ever be a warrior! But then, Bluestar was understanding, and would probably allow him to go. Still, he needed to ask.

"Have you asked Bluestar yet?" he inquired. Cinderpelt hesitated. Tigerclaw's betrayal had really destroyed her, and she would probably say no. "Not yet…" she let her sentence trail off; she was not going to tell Bluestar. "The question is, do you want to go?"

Swiftpaw hesitated, but then the prospect of meeting a StarClan warrior was too exciting. If Bluestar became angry, which she probably wouldn't, he could always do better in his hunting, fighting, and training to make up for it. "Yes, I'll go," he said, his amber eyes blazing with excitement.

The gray she-cat nodded. "Good, we leave at nightfall. Get ready."

The moment the sun slipped behind the horizon, and the world turned into a deep shade of dark blue, Swiftpaw silently padded out of the apprentice's den, and stuck his nose into the medicine cat's den.

"Cinderpelt? Are you there? Can we leave yet?" The scent of bitter herbs drifted out, and Cinderpelt came along with it. Swiftpaw wondered how the medicine cat could survive, living with bitter smells in her nostrils all day and night.

"Yes. Come on, Swiftpaw. We have to leave without anyone seeing us."

Graystripe was on guard at the entrance to the camp, but he suddenly put his head out to investigate a strange noise. His curiosity got the better of him, and the gray tom bounded into the forest.

"Now! Go, Swiftpaw!" Cinderpelt quietly yowled. The black-and-white apprentice shot through the opening, and Cinderpelt raced after him. By the time Graystripe came back, the two cats were long gone. After running through the dense forest of ThunderClan territory for a while, the two cats stopped, and rested at Fourtrees, the sacred gathering place of the four Clans. Four strong, tall, sturdy oak trees, here since the beginnings of the warrior cats, stood at the boundaries of Fourtrees, and a huge rock dominated the center. During the Gatherings at the full moon, the place was full of cats from ThunderClan, Swiftpaw's Clan, RiverClan, WindClan and ShadowClan. Then Swiftpaw and Cinderpelt continued on though WindClan territory unchallenged, and soon reached the entrance to the sacred Moonstone.

Swiftpaw gazed in awe and wonder at the huge cave opening in front of him. Not many cats, let alone many apprentices, had ever been inside the cave, and gazed at the Moonstone. It was a place for leaders and medicine cats, and now he, Swiftpaw, apprentice of ThunderClan, was going to journey inside. He could hardly contain his excitement.

"Remember, Swiftpaw, that when we go in, both of us cannot talk until we come back out," Cinderpelt cautioned. Swiftpaw nodded, and looked questioningly at Cinderpelt. She understood, and nodded back. Then she padded in, and the young apprentice followed.

The cave was dark, the darkest black Swiftpaw had ever seen. It was like a night without the moon—no, darker than that. It was like… Swiftpaw thought about it for a while. _Yes!_, he thought, as he found a way to express the darkness. It was as dark as being buried alive. He turned around for a moment, trying to see the entrance, but all was pitch black. Swiftpaw faced forward again. He was afraid that he was going to get lost, but by following Cinderpelt's scent, he made to the Moonstone, unharmed. The cavern that held the Moonstone was not dark,

but instead it shone with an unearthly glow. Swiftpaw could not find a name for the colour of the glow, it was kind of faint purple, and silver mixed together. The Moonstone was very large, the size of three full-grown cats stacked on top of one another. Cinderpelt motioned for Swiftpaw to press his nose against the hard, cold rock, and then lay against it. She did the same, and Swiftpaw waited for StarClan to send him his dream.

He opened his eyes slowly, and found himself back at Fourtrees. The only difference was that this time, the stars descended on the ground, and he could make out familiar shapes. Swiftpaw recognized Lionheart, a former ThunderClan cat, and Spottedleaf, the former medicine cat. Yellowfang, a gray she-cat who was Cinderpelt's mentor, was also recognizable among the starry cats. She had died saving two ThunderClan elders from a forest fire, but the smoke had been too much.

Lionheart padded forward, and as he did so, the other cats started to fade away.

"Hello, Swiftpaw. A warrior, who I think you will be pleased to meet, had sent me to fetch you."

Swiftpaw nodded, too awestruck to speak. He followed Lionheart to an area where the trees were bright, and the air felt as warm as Greenleaf. It _was_ Greenleaf, the apprentice realized. Sitting in the middle of the bright forest was Runningwind, Swiftpaw's father. The brave warrior had been cruelly slaughtered by Tigerclaw and his group of rouges, and now resided in StarClan.

"Go on, say hello." Lionheart gently nudged the apprentice towards Runningwind, and then the golden warrior padded away. Both father and son went forward, and touched noses.

"I was kind of amused when you, Cinderpelt and Fireheart made such a big fuss about you coming here," the brown tabby meowed. Swiftpaw ducked his head in embarrassment.

"The real reason I sent Lionheart to find you was that I have been watching you. You seemed angry that Bluestar made Cloudtail a warrior, but not you, correct?" Swiftpaw didn't reply, just nodded, looking at the ground.

"It's okay. I don't blame you. I also think Bluestar should have made you a warrior," Runningwind mewed encouragingly. At these words, Swiftpaw looked up in amazement. He had thought every cat shared Bluestar's thought that Swiftpaw wasn't ready for warrior duties. "Really?" he asked his father, who nodded.

"Yes, really. Have hope, young Swiftpaw. Hope." At that moment, Cinderpelt woke up Swiftpaw. She motioned for him to follow her, and this time, Swiftpaw navigated the long, dark tunnels without fear. As they burst through the entrance to the tunnel, one at a time, Cinderpelt asked Swiftpaw, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," he replied excitedly. "Even better than okay. I saw-" Cinderpelt gently put her tail against his mouth, and he stopped talking. "We never talk about out dreams. I just need to know that you were okay," she told him gently.

Swiftpaw nodded.

"Let's go back to camp. They will be wondering where we went."

"Swiftwind! Swiftwind! Swiftwind!" The cats of ThunderClan chanted the new warrior's name. Bluestar had finally recovered, and was the great leader she once had been again. Swiftwind was named after his father, and as the cats came up to him and called their congratulations, he was thinking about his secret trip to the Moonstone a moon before.

"Thank you, Runningwind. You gave me hope," Swiftwind quietly mewed, so no other cats could hear him. He was a warrior at last.

**A/N: So, do you like it? Hate it? Don't care about it? Please review! I don't mind flames, CC, or praise. Thanks in advance.**


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